I thought that I had thrown away the key so they could never set themselves free

But hatred has a way of sneaking through the cracks and making itself seen

This hatred I have encountered doesn't hurt just me, but others in my life

Then the hatred turns to anger when I realize what it's become

It's like a downward spiral with no good ending in sight

Forgiveness is the only answer to alleviate this hate

But I myself am not quite ready so I guess that it will have to wait

I'm sure someday the hatred will diminish in intensity

Maybe then my heart can offer her forgiveness for what she has done

But until then it's up to me to make sure that this hatred doesn't rule my life

I need to focus on the good and leave the bad alone

One day...some day...I'm sure the hatred will be gone.

*************

A little footnote:

Over the past year and a half many people and many things I have read in both my daily quiet time and in my reading (most recently in Rick Warren's book "Purpose Driven Life" - I highly recommend reading this one), I have come to a point in my life where I have realized it just isn't worth it for me to stay caught up in something that only hurts myself and my family. I read a great saying a few days ago from Mark Twain: "Anger is the acid that can do more harm to the vessell in which it is stored than anything on which it is poured". OUCH!!!!! So, upon soulful deliberation and much conviction from God, I did finally let go of this hatred and as a result I wrote a poem entitled "Forgiveness vs. Trust" to reflect my current state of mind. Hope you enjoy it and maybe it will keep some of you from wasting precious living on needless hatred like I did.

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